184 THE MYXOMYCETES 



half the height of the sporangium, dividing into stout branches at the 

 apex and continued into the capillitium; latter dark purplish brown 

 throughout, spreading from the upper part of the columella in flexu- 

 ous anastomosing threads, with slender brown free ends; spores 

 spherical or subovoid, purplish gray, coarsely warted, 6-10 fx. 



The range of spore-size, as given by Lister, is rather wide. The 

 species is said to resemble Lamproderma scintillans. 



Europe, Japan. 



20. Comatricha elegans (Racib.) List. 



Guide Brit. Mycetozoa ed. 3. 31. 1909. 

 PI. XII, Figs. 299, 300. 



1884. Rostqfinskia elegans Racib., Rozpr. Akad. Krak. 12 : 77. 

 1888. Raciborskia elegans Berl., Sacc. Syll. Fung. 7 : 401. 



Sporangia loosely gregarious, globose, stipitate, purplish brown, 

 0.3-0.5 mm. in diameter, 1-2 mm. in total height; stipe black, su- 

 bulate, to 1.6 mm. ; columella at first divided into a few main branches, 

 from which by repeated subdivision the delicate, anastomosing, flex- 

 uose capillitial threads take origin; spores pale brownish violaceous, 

 spinulescent, 8-10 fx. 



In a collection from Virginia, the silvery peridium tends to persist, 

 as in a lamproderma. 



New Jersey, Virginia, South Carolina, Colorado, Washington; 

 Europe, southern Asia, Japan. 



21. Comatricha typhoides (Bull.) Rost. 



Vers. 7. 1873. 

 PI. XII, Figs. 293, 294. 



1791. Trichia typhoides Bull., Champ. 119. pi. 477, fig. 2. 



1805. Stemonitis typhoides (Bull.) DC, Fl. Fr. 2 : 257. 



1842. Stemonitis pumila Corda, Icones 5 : 59. 



1875. Comatricha typhina Rost., Mon. 197. 



1875. Comatricha affinis Rost., Mon. 202. 



1885. Comatricha stemonitis (Scop.) Wettst., Verh. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien 

 35 : 534. 



1892. Stemonitis affinis Massee, Mon. 76. 



1892. Stemonitis atra Massee, Mon. 78. 



1892. Stemonitis carlylei Massee, Mon. 84. 



1899. Stemonitis platensis Speg., Anal. Mus. Nac. Buenos Aires 6 : 202. 



Sporangia gregarious or scattered, stipitate, cylindrical or some- 

 times narrowly ovate, erect or sometimes arcuate, obtuse, 2-3 mm. 

 high, at first silvery, then brown as the peridium vanishes; stipe black, 

 about one-half the total height or less; hypothallus distinct, more or 



